A Look at the Pre-Award & Contract Services Office Carol Darstein Director, Pre-Award and Contract Services

Submitting a Proposal All proposals for federal and state grants or contracts must come through the Pre- Award & Contract Services office. All proposals for funding from local foundations or organizations go through the Buffalo State College Foundation. Proposals that fall under the category of “sponsored program” go through RF.

What is a “sponsored program?” Activities sponsored by sources external to the college for which there is an expectation (implied or specifically stated) on the part of the sponsor for performance, deliverable(s) or outcome(s) May support instruction, research and/or public service activities

Characteristics of Sponsored Programs Some of the possible characteristics that identify a “sponsored program” are below. Not all characteristics must be met for it to be a “sponsored program.” Percentage of faculty time on the project Expectation of performance or deliverables Defined time period for the work A line item budget is specified

Characteristics of Sponsored Programs continued A financial report is required by sponsor Inclusion of indirect costs Performance, technical and final reports are required HOW DO WE KNOW IF IT IS A GIFT? - A gift has few or no conditions

Proposal Submission The legal applicant for proposals is Research Foundation for SUNY on behalf of SUNY Buffalo State Award is made to and administered by our Research Foundation campus office It is important that you notify the Pre- Award & Contract Services office as soon as possible when you are planning to submit a proposal

Proposal Submission At a minimum you must: Have your budget approved by the Pre- Award office Complete and obtain signatures on the official routing sheet Have the proposal (whether paper or electronic) officially submitted by our office

Additional Assistance We will advise you on possible pitfalls or other important aspects of the proposal after reviewing the Request for Proposals We will assist you in electronic registrations – please do not register for any competition yourself We will work with you on preparing a budget and budget justification

Additional Assistance We will be happy to read and edit your proposal narrative or assist in preparing parts of your proposal and gathering facts and figures We may be able to obtain copies of funded proposals for you We will complete required forms If paper submission, we will make all copies and send it via FedEx at our expense

Identifying Funding Sources We subscribe to InfoEd Services This includes a database of funding opportunities called SPIN (Sponsored Program Information Network) This database is updated on a daily basis Go to click Research & Econ Development, then Pre- Award & Contracts, then click Services Provided and you will see the link to SPINhttp://

Signing Up for SMARTS What is SMARTS? - SPIN Matching And Research Transmittal Service It will send you s daily of funding opportunities based on your keywords If you would like to sign up, please contact us at and we’ll set up a time to meet – it takes only about half an hour and we can help you choose suitable keywords You can modify your selection, put your status on hold or deactivate at any time

Research & Creativity Council Research Incentive Program Incentive funds are intended to support faculty research, scholarly, and creative activities that lead to the preparation of a competitive proposal submitted to an external agency (e.g., state/federal agency, private foundation with the exception of foundation applications that would go through the College Foundation, or other sponsor). The ultimate goal of an award from the Incentive Program is to receive an external award to continue the research, scholarly, or creative activity and generate returned indirect to support costs associated with administering grants.

Planning…and the word early! Start as early as possible Notify our office as early as possible Meet with us early in the process to go over the specific requirements of the submission If additional materials outside of your immediate control are needed (e.g., letters of support or commitment) ask for and obtain them as early as you can.

Other Planning Tasks Meet with appropriate supervisors – Chair or Dean so that they are aware of the upcoming submission Obtain any matching or cost share commitments in writing – not at the last minute! If you will need items such as an MOU with multiple signatures you need to prepare and circulate this as quickly as possible

Preparation of the Proposal Be prepared to do multiple drafts Use the RFP to guide your writing Following the directions is crucial Specific format instructions are important Common errors: wrong font, too many pages, incorrect order of documents, missing forms or supporting items

Preparation continued Have someone else read the narrative – in most cases, except highly technical situations, it should be understood by a reasonably educated person – spell check is sometimes not your friend! Don’t be afraid to the program officer at the sponsoring agency/organization for clarifications

The Budget The Pre-Award office will assist you with your budget preparation Your budget will require the approval of a representative from the Pre-Award office prior to submission

Some Current Trends in Funding STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Entrepreneurship and Business Development Job training – including emphasis on veterans, women, and minorities Violence on campuses Collaboration, partnerships, regional efforts

Contact Information Carol Darstein, Director, Pre-Award & Contract Services – ; Laura Leone, Pre-Award and Contract Services Associate – ;

Other Helpful Contacts Rick Johnson, Manager, Research and Economic Development, , Gina Game, Compliance Manager, , ext. 212 (human or animal subjects); Our website: